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Moot Court Competition 2025

Final Argument

Friday, April 4th, 2025
3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Registration
3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Competition

UCI Student Center, Crystal Cove Auditorium
311 W. Peltason Dr., Irvine, CA 92697

Watch the recording ›

Finalists:
Petitioner:  Daniel Jaffe
Respondent: Ahmad Shanaa

Final Results
Best Overall Advocate: Ahmad Shanaa
Runner-Up Best Advocate: Daniel Jaffe
Best Brief: Connor Lennard; Mika Foster
Runner Up Best Brief: Shannon Cheung and Daniel Jaffe
Best Oralist: Connor Lennard

Top 16 includes:

Judges

The Honorable John B. Owens, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit  
The Honorable Anthony D. Johnstone, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
The Honorable Josephine L. Staton, United States District Court for the Central District of California

Summary of the Case

Timothy Grey is the biological father of Anthony Huntington. In 2023, Anthony, then 23 years old, reached out to Timothy to arrange a meeting. Anthony initiated the meeting because his fiancé was pregnant and Anthony wanted Timothy to be included in his grandchild’s life.

The meeting was the first time the two had met in Anthony’s life. Timothy separated from Anthony’s mother when she was pregnant with him. The meeting went well: Timothy expressed his intent to develop a relationship with Anthony and his future grandchild. Unfortunately, Anthony died a few days later in an altercation with Baltimore police after he was mistaken for a dangerous suspect.

Timothy sued the Baltimore Police Department under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, arguing that he has a substantive due process right under the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause to companionship with his adult son. The Police Department moved to dismiss under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim. The district court denied the motion and held that Timothy’s right exists. The Fourth Circuit reversed, holding that Timothy has no such right.  

Timothy now appeals to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Questions Presented

1. Whether the Petitioner, Mr. Grey, has a substantive right under the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause to companionship with his 23-year-old son.

2024-2025 Moot Court Board

The UC Irvine School of Law Moot Court Board is comprised of third-year students who successfully participated in Moot Court previously. This year’s Moot Court Board consists of the following members:

• Chair: Matthew Scammahorn
• Vice Chairs: Kaity Mckee & Jay Narimatsu
• Directors of Bench Brief: JP Elberfeld & Sunny Liu
• Directors of Judicial Relations: Devin Ton & Karen Trinh
• Directors of Internal Relations: Matthew Finn & Kasra Mirzabeigifini

Mission Statement

The mission of the UC Irvine School of Law Moot Court Board is to promote the development and refinement of students’ legal research, writing and appellate oral advocacy skills through experiential learning. Each year, the Board organizes an intramural moot court competition that asks students to grapple with real legal issues to prepare them for outstanding legal careers.

Thank you to our sponsor!

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